New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies and K.C. Ross-Miller from earlier this season. / John Miller, AP

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

The Western Athletic Conference has suspended two New Mexico State players following an on-court brawl Thursday night in a loss at Utah Valley.

Junior guard K.C. Ross-Miller has been suspended two games and senior forward Renaldo Dixon one as a result of a violation of the WAC's sportsmanship policy, Commissioner Jeff Hurd announced in a statement Friday.

"There obviously is no place in the Western Athletic Conference or intercollegiate athletics as a whole for the unfortunate events that took place at the conclusion of Thursday night's game," Hurd said. "And I appreciate the excellent cooperation that I have received from both institutions in my review of what occurred."

New Mexico State already had suspended Ross-Miller on Friday morning after his actions sparked the brawl.

The incident highlights the continuing problems related to court-storming and fan-player interaction, both of which have been endlessly debated this college basketball season.

With the final seconds ticking off the clock of a 66-61 Utah Valley win Thursday in Orem, Utah, Ross-Miller grabbed the Aggies' inbounds pass and hurled it at Utah Valley senior guard Holton Hunsaker. As that happened, fans were rushing the court - the win put Utah Valley atop the WAC standings - and quickly, the celebration turned into an on-court brawl that included fans and players. According to the Utah Valley's Daily Herald, there were no reports of injuries.

"After reviewing the tape of the game and the events that immediately followed, a decision has been made to immediately suspend K.C. Ross-Miller," New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said in a statement. "No matter what provoked KC what he did was inexcusable and hence the suspension. It is an honor and a privilege to wear an Aggie uniform and a responsibility comes with that privilege.

"My initial assessment is that we're looking at two separate components, one being KC throwing the ball at Hunsaker and the other being the altercation between the players and the fans who rushed the floor. I would like to commend my staff for their immediate reaction to engage our players and remove them from the floor. ... Obviously this was a very unfortunate incident and I'm hopeful that we can learn from it moving forward."

Thursday's incident raises more questions about court-storming, which has become a hot topic over the last two seasons as it has become fairly common. It poses risks for players and coaches caught on the court in the midst of celebratory fans. It happens moments after a big win/painful loss, creating the possibility for heated exchanges, like what happened Thursday - or, in a similarly dissected player-fan interaction, what happened between Marcus Smart and a Texas Tech fan in Lubbock earlier this month.

Some leagues have fined schools for allowing students to rush the court (or field) in recent years. For most, there is no penalty, and there are varying opinions about how such a thing should be handled.

"While the suspensions handed down are appropriate for the actions of the involved student-athletes, there will be a continued review of other incidents that occurred as a result of fans rushing the court," Hurd said. "There are obvious safety and security issues that need to be addressed, and I also have requested additional games management information from Utah Valley University.

"... The situation could have been much worse if it had not been for outstanding effort of both the New Mexico State and Utah Valley coaching staffs. They were instrumental in separating their student-athletes from what could have been an even uglier situation."

On Thursday, hours before the New Mexico State-Utah Valley brawl, American Athletic Commissioner Mike Aresco was asked about his and his conference's views and concerns regarding court-storming. SMU fans rushed the court two weeks ago after beating then-No. 7 Cincinnati.

"We talk to our schools about it," Aresco told USA TODAY Sports. "At SMU, they hadn't had anything quite that exciting in a long time, so you sort of can understand it. But everybody's really going to work hard to prevent that. You know, you've got to be careful. You can have injuries. You have to make sure the visiting team is protected. Some people have asked, 'Are you going to fine people?' That's certainly not our preference. But we have made it a priority to make sure we don't have (court-storming). It's exciting when it happens; no one is going to argue that it isn't. But on the other hand, it's best not to for reasons of safety and the welfare of the players."